policymakers at the bank of japan have agreed to do more to fight deflation. they set an inflation target of 2%. people in israel are casting ballots in a general election. prime minister netanyahu is expected to keep his job. but the country may shift further to the right. welcome to nhk "newsline." japan's central bank policymakers agreed to give shinzo abe what he's been pushing for, a 2% inflation

target. it's included in the boj plan with the government. it's part of abe's plan to tackle deflation with bolder, monetary easing measures. bank of japan governor and eight other board members agreed on a policy at the end of a two-day meeting. the announcement says financial authorities will try to reach the target at their earliest possible time. boj officials have previously made it a goal to bring 1% inflation within reach but the new, clearer target requires some bold steps. the document also addresses the role of the government in revitalizing japan's economy. it describes how politicians should promote growth and restore fiscal health. along with drafting the joint statement, boj officials have agreed to introduce open-ended asset purchasing. under a new program from january 2014 the central bank will purchase a certain amount of financial assets every month. no termination date is being set for the scheme. the new measure will expand the

total size of the asset purchase program, or app, by about 10 trillion yen, or $110 billion, in 2014. the program is expected to be maintained in the future. following the boj meeting, central bank governor and the finance minister aso reported on the release of the joint statement to prime minister abe at his office. >> translator: the government strongly hopes the bank of japan will continue to promote a strong monetary easing policy in order to achieve the goal. >> translator: the bank of japan believes it is important to realize sustainable growth by overcoming deflation at an early stage and achieving price stability. it is vital to strengthen our ties with the government if we are to jointly achieve our aims.

>> translator: i believe it is unprecedented for the government and bank of japan to commit themselves to such strong ties. this is a historical moment. >> the prime minister has highly praised the joint statement by the government and the central bank. >> translator: it's definitely a breakthrough toward bolder monetary easing. >> abe told reporters the statement shows the bank of japan's determination to tackle deflation. abe and central bank governor shirakawa attended a meeting on tuesday evening at the council on economic and fiscal policy. they confirmed the council will regularly review progress and the implementation of monetary policy to achieve the 2% inflation target. policymakers said they would weigh the risks to economic growth. earlier i spoke with our nhk world reporter. she has tracked policy decisions of abe in the past. we heard abe push for these

measures since before he entered office. how does the bank of japan's response fall in line with his goal? >> certainly, a big win for abe. he has said that steering the economy out of deflation is one of the three pillars of his economic platform. and failure to reach an agreement would clearly have been a setback. policymakers have been saying for some time the inflation goals should be 1%. this sets the target at twice that level. central bankers also agreed they need to achieve the target as early as possible. they'll be required to report to the government on how they're doing. the economy has been struggling with deflation for more than a decade so in some sense it's a surprise this didn't happen earlier. >> what kind of reaction is it getting, not locally, but overseas, abroad? >> some countries like germany are criticizing abe saying he's trying to weaken the yen to

boost exports. the prime minister has yet to respond. but central banks around the world, including the fed in the u.s. and european central banks are essentially doing the same thing. implementing drastic monetary easing measures to weaken their currency and to increase exports. >> one of the most important questions is how do you think this policy is going to affect japan's economy? >> well, actually, many economists have been wrestling with that question. some point out once prices start to rise it might be difficult to stop the momentum, but others argue it will take some time for the boj to actually achieve its target. >> it's hard to expect because considering japanese economy is suffering negative outward gap at 3% of level and also considering level is still high compared to historical level it's difficult to anticipate

inflation number bring back to 2% level or close to 2% level. >> we also need to look at possible price hikes in the larger context. right now the economy has been suffering from a condition known as deflationary spiral. companies earn less, so they cut wages. and consumers spend less. that drives down company's sales. now, consider what will happen with this inflation target. prices will rise and people will be hard-pressed to afford some things unless their wages, too, go up. that could drive down consumption. so, it's essential to create an environment in which rising prices improve both corporate earnings and workers' wages. >> the boj is supposed to be a separate entity from the government. what is the outcome of this current process say about the central bank's independence?

>> apparently abe wants the next governor of the bank of japan to be more sympathetic to aggressive monetary easing. if that happens, i wonder who would take responsibility for how markets respond. investors have so far welcomed abe's approach, but we'll have to wait to see whether they like what happens as he follows through. >> the central bank governor gave some background about the decisions at a news conference after the meeting. he said drastic efforts by the bank and government will be needed to achieve the targets. he said officials should keep monetary policy flexible by examining a variety of risk factors. >> translator: in pursuit of monetary easing and taking into account that it may be quite some time before the effect of the monetary policy permeate the economy, the bank will determine whether there is any significant risk to the sustained ability of economic growth, including from the accumulation of financial imbalances. >> he did stress achieving the

2% inflation target will not require just further monetary easing but also efforts by the government to encourage economic growth. japanese business leaders welcome the commitment shown by the government and the boj to end deflation, but they've urged government officials to do more to revitalize the economy. japan business federation chairman said he wants the government to swiftly take bold steps for regulatory reform and cooperate more closely with foreign economic partners. chairman of japan association of corporate executives hasegawa said the government must show strong political leadership to promote economic growth. he said otherwise the economy may be threatened by a rise in prices above the 2% target. here are the latest market figures. the philippines plans to formally challenge the territorial ambitions of china at a united nations tribunal. the two nations both claim

sovereignty over disputed islands in waters in the south china sea. >> the philippines has been exchanging views with china to peacefully settle these disputes. to this day, a solution is still elusive. we hope that the arbital proceedings will bring the dispute to a durable solution. >> foreign second del rosario, and said that manila would seek arbitration. they have disputes over rich fishing grounds over the scarborough shoals. the philippines claim china is violating its sovereignty. they want the dispute brought before the tribunal. even so, challenge looks unlikely to go far. china's ambassador to the philippines has issued a statement saying the dispute should be resolved through

bilateral dialog. authorities in beijing have refused to accept arbitration based on the u.n. convention on the law of the sea. u.s. diplomats are trying to punish north korea for firing off a rocket last month they presented a draft lest solution to the u.n. security council aimed at tightening existing sanctions. the draft condemns the launch as a missile test that violated security council resolutions. it also urges north koreans to end their nuclear development program. the draft lists additional sanction targets, including individuals and government organizations such as the space agency. american diplomats work with counterparts from japan and south korea to push for sanctions. five of the six were taken to court on monday to enter their please. defense lawyers raise the possibility that one of those five is a minor. the hearing was postponed after defense lawyers called on the hearing to be opened to the public. the court is scheduled to

reconvene on thursday. the government and police are pledging to do more to protect women and punish attackers, but incidents of violence continue to come to light. >> reporter: public outrage has continued in india. it's not just against the suspects but the government. people are demanding stricter punishment for sexual offenders. government officials have vow to take action. they say they will consider revising the law to strengthen penalties against rapists. indian home affairs minister has ordered chiefs around the country to investigate sexual assaults more thoroughly. >> identify methodologies of investigation. >> reporter: but women and even girls continue to be brutalized. this month a 32-year-old woman in the eastern state was found hanging from a tree after she was gang raped.

and a 9-year-old girl was raped and killed in the western state. women in new delhi are signing up for martial arts classes. they say they can't rely on the police. >> translator: i have to defend myself. the police are not trustworthy. >> reporter: some people are focused on helping the victims and ngo in new delhi has launched an effort to help women who has experienced sexual assault. this is one of the ngo leaders. he says the group wants to help create a society that respects women. volunteers provide counselling to victims and refer them to other support services.

>> we get calls on incest cases. >> reporter: he says women attacked by their own relatives are often reluctant to go to the police. those who do are not always guaranteed a sincere response. in november a 17-year-old girl in the northern state of punjab went to the police to report a sexual assault. officials told her she should marry one of the attackers.

the girl later killed herself. incidents like these make many women feel abandoned by the police. he believes the real problem comes from cultural attitude towards women's rights. >> indian system is a very, very feudal. very male chauvinist. >> reporter: last mop rape has launched a dialogue. people around the country are looking to see if indian society can learn how to protect the dignity of all of its citizens. >> reporter: and that wraps up our bulletin.

thanks. japanese safety workers are using a scanner to examine the damaged battery in a 787. it made an emergency landing in western japan. they scanned the battery at the japanese space agency. they say it contained eight charred lithium ion cells. they're trying to determine which components were most damaged. they say excessive current is likely to make the battery to overheat and emit smoke. they're going to ask the japanese manufacturer to dismantle it for further analysis. they're also studying the flight data recorder to check the voltages and currents that passed through the plane's electrical system. the emergency landing was the last in a series of problems that led to the grounding of all

787 dreamliners in operation. israelis are voting in a general election, opinion polls suggest they will keep prime minister benjamin netanyahu in power. netanyahu called early elections in october after his coalition failed to agree on the annual budget. his party joined force with the nationalist group. they have consistently led in the polls. but actual tranationalist jewish home party is rapidly gaining support. the party opposes peace talks with the palestinians. net allowed israelis to build settlements in occupied territories two years ago. their construction breaches international law and contributed to a break down in the peace process. foreign energy companies will deal with terrorism but a hostage crisis that left dozens of people from different countries dead is raising fears of new attacks on western

infrastructure. 37 foreign nationals died in the operation his country carried out against islamic militants. they took hundreds of workers hostage. he stressed government forces moved in on the facility to demonstrate algeria will not give in to terrorism. a spokesperson for the militants told the french weekly paris match that group had achieved 90% of its goals. one of those goals was to take control of a heavily guarded complex with just 40 fighters. there were allegations the militants had some inside help. an algerian newspaper reported that security forces are questioning 11 workers. and algerian government officials have revealed former driver at the facility was among the attackers. he apparently provided the group with detailed information about the plant. the militants have pledged to continue their attacks unless france halts its military

campaign in mali. that campaign is still very much under way. french commanders say they made end roads in halting the advance of islamist rebels. they say french and malian troops gained control of two strategic towns in the west african country. spokespersons for and france's defen ministry said they recaptured two towns. french military leaders plan to push toward northern mali. mal sichlt mali is a former french colony. the rebels began advancing south. french officials say the military's actions in mali increased the risk of retaliatory attacks. they raised the dme security alert. it's one notch below the highest level. they have also tightened security around public tpgs and other facilities across france. leaders around the world are

now paying full attention to this part of africa, especially following the events in algeria. professor takahashi gave us some insight into why things unfolded the way they did and why we should -- what we should expect moving forward. >> since 1954 to 1962 and during that eight years they lost, algerians lost 1 million casualties and in the 1990s, algeria experienced terrible civil war in which they lost another 100,000 people. so, algerians regard their independence and sovereignty as a very pressure thing and they guard it justly, and they are not inclined to accept any foreign help on the crisis of terrorism. what is striking with this terrorist group is there are members of many countries, but this nothing new with al qaeda. al qaeda a an international

phenomenon. this group has two canadian members. that's kind of striking. this indicates al qaeda is extending its appeal to the north american and european muslims, and most of them, those who are alienated in north american and european societies. another triangle is for the first time in the history of this area, terrorists managed to attack and damage the major oil and gas facilities and those facilities are the life lines of the algerian economy and guarded

very heavily but this time terrorists managed to damage that facility. up until recently the western alliance didn't take those terrorists in mali seriously. now that this incident took place one would suppose that france will continue their major operation against islamists in northern mali and uk will join in the efforts and probably the united states will support that. so they will face the united front of the western alliance

for the first time and probably forced to give up control of northern mali. if they are in a desperate position it's most likely they will result to desperate at any time attack again. for the latest in weather we have rachel ferguson. rachel. >> looking barely settled across the continent in eastern asia. dry skies for klein and mongolia. a few showers here just in inland china. not anything particularly heavy. could see some widespread fog here as well. as for japan things are starting to clear up now after low pressure system moved across today. much of the couldn't nent is very dry. we see very heavy rain and causing quite a problem. widespread flooding. you can see it's going to be an on going stream of moisture coming in. so further flooding and mudslides are going to be a concern.

manila, 30. 34 with popup thunderstorms in bangkok. 23 degrees in hong kong and taipei. seoul and beijing seeing 3 degrees. tokyo 8, and minus 15 inially you in ulaanbaatar. extremely frigid in the americas. summerlike temperatures creeping up the west coast, and then dangerous windchill for much of the northeast and central canada. let's take a look at temperatures. not much in the way of precipitation coming around. we're looking at summerlike temperatures creeping up the west coast and then dangerous wind chill for much of the northeast and central canada. let's take a look at those temperatures. minus 10 in toronto. minus 12 in claug. win peg, minus 21. remember, these are the highs. hypothermia and frostbite are very real concerns. then on the other side of the jet stream, 19 degrees in houston.

27 in los angeles, and even up to 16 degrees in denver. let's go now to where that's decidedly wintry, europe, talking about the snow pretty much for the last several days. i'll show you video coming from northern spain, you can see what's happening here. persistent snowfall spread novillas, spain. forcing several residents to leave their home. it spilled into wide swaths of farmland. the winter storm claimed three lives. low-lying areas on the river continue to flood. snow covers the upper elevations, making travel dangerous. i want to show you the situation now. the iberian peninsula, flanked by two low-pressure systems, this one to the south, bringing sleety conditions and snow as well. a lot of it will be rain and thunderstorms and definitely snow to the north and coming

into france here. this is going to be heading toward the balkan peninsula, the southern storm. it's quite warm in the southeast, so a lot of the precipitation is rain for you. by the time the storm arrives on wednesday, a lot of frigid air coming down to the southeast. turning that down to snow in the mountains, with thunderstorms along the coast. all right. let's check out your temperatures for wednesday. minus 6 in stockholm, minus 16 in kiev and minus 5 for the my. athens, minus 15 degrees. and expect to sink a little bit. and 1 degree in london, plenty of snow in the british isles. let's leave you with the extended forecast.

people are mourning the loss of a renowned japanese film director. the crowd gathered at a temple in tokyo to say good-bye.

oshima died last tuesday of pneumonia. he was 80. about 700 people attended the funeral. he was farewelled with the theme music from "merry christmas mr. lawrence," one of his best known films. the altar was designed in the style of the ceremony, also an oshima film. decorated with about 5,300 white flowers, the favorite hat and scarf were placed inside his coffin. and we'll we back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

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